A POPULAR moorland attraction celebrated its half-century with a visit from the Queen’s representative in North Yorkshire.

The county’s Lord Lieutenant, Lord Crathorne, spent the afternoon at the Ryedale Folk Museum at Hutton-le-Hole on the North York Moors.

And he was greeted by museum patron Lady Feversham and trustee Anthony Clark MBE as the celebrations commenced.

Ryedale Folk Museum first opened in 1964. It has grown from humble beginnings and today stands at six acres, with 20 heritage buildings and more than 40,000 objects and antiques.

Lord Crathorne spoke about the importance of the museum in the context of saving Ryedale’s built and cultural heritage and the museum’s work within the wider community.

He also planted a plum tree as a reminder of the celebration.

A lasting marker of the 50th anniversary is being created by stonemasonry students from Moulton College in Northamptonshire. The stone milestone will be hand-carved by the students over the next few months and placed in the museum’s grounds.

Lord Crathorne officially opened a new exhibition at the museum – Maker and Maid: the Working Lives of Women – which looks at women’s work 120 years ago.

He also chatted to artist Lucy Antwis about her new exhibition in the museum’s art gallery, Inside the Seams. Her sculptural textile pieces respond to some of the museum’s collection including a cobbler’s hammer and tools used in thatching, spinning and dyeing.